How did prehistoric people respond to natural disasters? - Rune Iversen et al

NEW How did prehistoric people respond to natural disasters? New research suggests a volcanic eruption that blocked out the sun caused people in Neolithic Denmark to ritually sacrifice 'sun stones' to ensure a good harvest.

Strap in for a volcanic #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵 pic.twitter.com/fZ7V0FxwAr

— 🅰ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) January 16, 2025

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For the paper discussed see; Iversen, R. et al. (2025) ‘Sun stones and the darkened sun: Neolithic miniature art from the island of Bornholm, Denmark’, Antiquity, pp. 1–17. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.217.

I think the paper is excellent, climate chaos causing resources being wasted in pointless attempts to assuage the weather gods seems all too likely. At other times and places in prehistory rapid changes in the climate are probably linked to activities such as monument building.

There are the obvious quibbles with the premise which the authors address such as why just on one small island and where was this unrecorded volcanic eruption.

My first reaction is that the disc illustrated looks more like an annual calendar or similar, than a sun disc, with periods being marked out with radial lines and then maybe individual days or events marked out with cross lines. But that is just my opinion based on minutes of superficial study.